Boris Johnson heads to Scotland amid Brexit disagreement

Britain's Boris Johnson will make his first visit to Scotland as prime minister as his Conservative Party's leader there said she would refuse to support a no-deal Brexit and asks for alternatives to Johnson's strategy.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures during a speech on domestic priorities at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, Britain July 27, 2019.
Reuters

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures during a speech on domestic priorities at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, Britain July 27, 2019.

Boris Johnson is making his first official visit as British prime minister to Scotland, pledging to boost "the ties that bind our United Kingdom" amid opposition from Scottish leaders to his insistence on pulling Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal.

Johnson will announce on Monday a 300 million-pound ($371 million) funding pot to drive economic growth in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

His office said he was also planning a trip to Wales to meet local farmers and to Northern Ireland to discuss ongoing talks to restore its devolved executive.

"Our Union is the most successful political and economic union in history. We are a global brand and together we are safer, stronger and more prosperous," Johnson said in a statement ahead of the visit.

"So as we prepare for our bright future after Brexit, it's vital we renew the ties that bind our United Kingdom."

Last week, Scotland's nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon wrote to Johnson telling him his Brexit plans would hurt the Scottish economy and that she would continue preparations for a second independence referendum.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her Welsh counterpart, Mark Drakeford, have both said it would be "unconscionable" for the UK to leave the EU with no deal in place. Sturgeon is reviewing the timetable for a possible second referendum on Scottish independence from the rest of the U.K.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has also refused to back a no-deal Brexit.

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